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Coriky - Clean Kill May 14, 2020

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Coriky - "Clean Kill" from the 2020 album Coriky on Dischord Records.

Combine the melodic energy of the Evens and the gruff bark of Fugazi and you've got Coriky, not surprisingly, 'cause they feature members of both those bands. The trio of guitarist Ian MacKaye (Fugazi, Evens), bassist Joe Lally (Fugazi), and drummer Amy Farina (Evens) played their first show in late 2018, at St. Stephen and the Incarnation Episcopal Church in Washington D.C., but hadn't officially released anything 'til now. Their self-titled debut was recorded last year by Don Zientara at Inner Ear Studios, a name you've probably seen in the liner notes of most of your Dischord Records albums. Due to the coronavirus and the resulting closure of distributors and shops, they've postponed the release of the LP for now, but you can enjoy today's Song of the Day here.

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DJ Python - ADMSDP (feat. LA Warman) May 13, 2020

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DJ Python - "ADMSDP (feat. LA Warman)" from the 2020 album Mas Amable on Incienso.

New York-based producer Brian Piñeyro records under many names: Deejay Xanax, DJ Wey, Luis; but, it's under the moniker DJ Python that he takes things to a hypnotic level. On his sophomore full-length Mas Amable, released last month on Incienso, he combines ambient techno and what he calls "deep reggaeton" into a mesmerizing blend. There are no breaks between the eight tracks on the album, creating a dreamy vibe for almost an hour. On today's featured track, he teams up with Brooklyn writer and poet LA Warman, where her hushed verses echo against tribal beats.

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Holy Esque - Reverence Falls May 12, 2020

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Holy Esque - "Reverence Falls" from the 2020 CPH EP on Beyond the Frequency.

Scottish post-punk band Holy Esque are projecting a third album will be out in 2021, but until then, they've released their third EP, CPH, a collection of rarities, to tide us over in the meantime. The tracks on CPH were recorded back in 2014 at STC Studios, Copenhagen.

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William McCarthy - Ballad for the Unemployed May 11, 2020

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William McCarthy - "Ballad for the Unemployed," a 2020 self-released single.

As the frontman for Pela and Augustines, Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter William McCarthy has never shied away from difficult topics. (Augustine's 2011 album Rise Ye Sunken Ships was influenced by the deaths of his mother and brother.)

As a solo artist, McCarthy continues to explore darker subjects in his music, like on today's featured track “Ballad for the Unemployed.“

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DJ Houseplants - Just Don't Know May 08, 2020

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DJ Houseplants - "Just Don't Know," a 2020 self-released single.

Seattle's own DJ Houseplants (aka DJ, producer, designer, and aspiring botanist Justin Av) says he's "driven by the vibrancy of the community there is at house & techno shows and wants everyone to thrive to the music." He certainly accomplishes that on today's Song of the Day.

KEXP's own Alex Ruder tells us: "He first made a splash on the local music scene as HansmJustin, spinning rap at festivals and clubs around town, co-hosting the beloved monthly rap party FR FR, and creating his own trap-leaning rap songs. Now using the DJ Houseplants alias, Justin makes addictive lo-fi house tunes with an introspective touch, and he recently dropped his label debut EP titled Root Bound on Melbourne's clipp.art Records."

Be sure to check out his exclusive mix for KEXP's Midnight in a Perfect World here.

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Black Flowers Cafe - Who May 07, 2020

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Black Flowers Cafe - "Who" from the 2020 album Flow on La Lumaca Dischi.

Keen-eared listeners of the Afternoon Show with Kevin Cole may recognize this song from when it had its global debut on the KEXP airwaves in late April.

Italian indie rock quartet Black Flowers Cafe craft what they call "flower pop," mixing influences from Bombay Bicycle Club to Caribbean folk to Afrobeat. Formed in 2010, band members Angelo Zicca (guitar), Antonio Nicoletti (drums, percussion), Gaetano Lidonnici (bass), and Fernando Rennis (vocals, guitar, synth) imagine the "Black Flowers Cafe" as a physical place.

"Who" will be out on the band's second full-length album, Flow, out May 29th.

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ALTA - Figured Out May 06, 2020

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ALTA - "Figured Out" from the 2019 album Reasons on Soothsayer.

On their debut album Reasons, Melbourne-based duo ALTA strived to create what they call "emotional dance music."

Vocalist Hannah Lesser and producer Julius Dowson spent ten months at home recording the album themselves. "We get a little obsessive and care a lot about the feel of the vocal take, and when we’ve tried we can’t recreate that feel later in a better environment, even though it’s a better recording," they explained in an interview with Wonderland Magazine.

Their D.I.Y. spirit got them the results they wanted, as reflected in the intimate, emotional resonance on today's Song of the Day. "We really poured a lot of ourselves into the album, we’ve definitely come out of the process different people. We hope that it resonates with some people like it did with us when we were writing it."

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Daníel Hjálmtýsson - Birds May 05, 2020

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Daníel Hjálmtýsson - "Birds," a 2020 self-released single.

Icelandic singer/songwriter Daníel Hjálmtýsson kicked off 2020 in a big way: by releasing his debut solo single "Birds" back on January 3rd.

Hjálmtýsson may be better known as half of the experimental duo HYOWLP, a project with producer and multi-instrumentalist Hjalti Steinn Sigurðarson (and a KEXP podcast alumni)! On his own, he continues to produce dark, emotional music in the vein of Nick Cave or Mark Lanegan.

He explains online that "Birds" is "inspired by the tragic, personal and familiar, struggles of being yet the glory of overcoming and acceptance," adding, it's "a homage to all the friends and fellow travelers that have gone too soon."

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Lee Fields & The Expressions - Don't Give Up May 04, 2020

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Lee Fields & The Expressions - "Don't Give Up," a 2019 single on Big Crown Records.

Plainfield, NJ-based artist Lee Fields just celebrated his 70th birthday last week, and he's spent 50 of those years performing old-school soul, funk, and R&B. His first single was released in 1969, and he went on to work with artists like B.B. King, Clarence Carter, Kool & The Gang, and more.

Last year, he released his seventh full-length (and fifth with his power-house backing band The Expressions) titled It Rains Love. Today's featured track was recorded during those sessions, but was unreleased until late 2019, when it was shared as a digital single. While the passionate ballad most likely reflects a love gone wrong, it bears a message of hope and solidarity that's perfect for these times.

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STRFKR - Never the Same May 01, 2020

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STRFKR - “Never The Same” from the 2020 album Future Past Life on Polyvinyl.

STRFKR returned this month with their sixth full-length, Future Past Life, which finds the long-running Portland-based band evolving from their psych-synth dance-heavy pop to something more stripped down and organic.

For the first time ever, every song on the album is led by acoustic guitar with the synth sounds on the side. Today's featured track is quite possibly the most vulnerable song in their decade-long discography. It's a surprising twist, but we wouldn't expect anything else from the shape-shifting trio. Listen below.

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